A pallet-like base frame of the kind mentioned in the beginning is known, for example, from the DE 202 17 856 U1. The known base frame comprises corner feet arranged on the corners of the base frame which feet comprise a corner foot body with two partial bodies formed in the area of a centre axis and merging into each other. On the upper rim of the front wall and on the lower rim of the front wall, respectively, the partial bodies comprise an upper supporting surface and a lower supporting surface arranged essentially at right angles to the front wall. The upper supporting surface is used for connection to the floor of the base frame and the lower supporting surface is used for connection to the foot frame of the base frame.
Transport and storage containers of the kind mentioned in the beginning are often arranged in a stacked formation during storing, wherein at least two transport and storage containers are arranged one above the other. In these cases the lower supporting surface of the corner and centre feet serves as a supporting bearing surface for the upper transport and storage container on an upper rim of the outer casing of the lower transport and storage container. Due to the essentially planar form of the lower supporting surfaces the foot frame of the base frame of the upper transport and storage container and the upper rim of the outer casing of the lower transport and storage container extend in a common horizontal plane.
The foot frame of the upper transport and storage container and the upper rim of the lower transport and storage container are, with respect to their dimensions, adapted to match each other in such a way that when stacked the foot frame is situated within certain boundaries defined by the upper rim. This leads to a certain relative positioning of the upper container in relation to the lower container in a stacked configuration. Due to the unavoidable manufacturing tolerances a not-clearly-defined horizontal distance is provided between the upper rim of the upper container and the foot frame of the lower container in order to ensure that the foot frame of the upper container always fits into the inner area of the upper rim of the lower container when arranged in a stacked configuration. Due to the distance, a more or less accurate positioning of the centres of gravity of the stacked containers on a common vertical axis is in practice only possible if the person operating the fork lift truck or a similar device takes appropriate care. In a case where stacking is not carried out with adequate care and attention, a more or less large horizontal deviation from the centre of gravity of the upper container may arise resulting in a tilting moment effective about a container transverse axis in addition to the vertically acting container load. This tilting moment may, in particular if the container stack is arranged on an uneven foundation or a sloping plane, lead in an extreme case to the stacked configuration becoming unstable and endangering the safety of the stack.
It is, of course, possible to define such narrow limits for the manufacturing tolerances of the foot frame and the upper rim that due to the set minimum distance between the foot frame and the upper rim, only very small horizontal deviations from the centre of gravity of the upper container in relation to the centre of gravity of the upper container are possible. On the other hand, however, there is an increased risk when forming a stacked configuration or dissolving a stacked configuration, that due to the excessively small manufacturing tolerances the foot frame of the upper container and the upper rim of the lower container may become misaligned (jammed) in relation to each other thereby creating dangerous situations which may lead to the upper container falling off and becoming damaged.